UPDATED FEB 2020. My visit to Finland was a quick solo trip to celebrate my birthday and I know that sounds weird to travel solo for a birthday but I’m introverted so I’m pretty comfortable being alone. I’ve put together this guide on how to spend a weekend in Helsinki to share some of the wonderful things to do in the pretty, seaside city. Even if you only have a weekend, you can still enjoy a lot of what the city has to offer. The capital city is a natural escape filled with parks, lakes, the ocean as well as lots of stylish shops, cozy cafes and, of course, saunas so let’s take a closer look.
How To Spend A Weekend In Helsinki – A Loaded Travel Guide
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Where to stay for your weekend in Helsinki
I recommend prison. For real!
Hotel Katajanokka is the former Helsinki county prison that has been converted into a boutique hotel.
I stayed here during my visit to Helsinki and loved being able to stay somewhere so unique, and I love that history has been woven into the hotel. Hotel Katajanokka is also conveniently located close to the central station and walking distance to a lot of the sights.
Book your stay here or read my full review of Hotel Katajanokka here.
If you would prefer a different hotel, guesthouse or apartment, I recommend searching on Booking.com. I use this to book accommodation when I travel and can always find a good deal there.
Day One In Helsinki
Explore Suomenlinna
Go to Market Square and take the ferry to the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress.
This defensive fortress is loaded with history having been owned by Sweden, Russia, and Finland and is one of the most popular attractions in Helsinki.
If you want to learn more, there are 6 museums to choose from – I visited the Suomenlinna Museum for an overall look at the history. There is also a range of cafes, sights, and shops.
Be sure to wear comfortable shoes to walk around here because there is a lot of walking.
The ferry is free with the Helsinki card, €2.80 each way at the ticket booth, or you could buy a 12 hour Suomenlinna ticket for €5. More information on ticket prices here.
Have lunch at Market Square or Old Market Hall
Once you get back from Suomenlinna, stop in at Market Square for a bite to eat.
I looked through Market Square, then chose to have lunch at Old Market Hall which is right next to Market Square. You will be able to find a nice meal either way.
There is a range of different options including lots of seafood, meats, sandwiches, cakes and even reindeer!
It was a great place to get a nice lunch without costing a fortune. There is also a range of unique crafts here so if you are doing any souvenir shopping this is a good spot.
Visit the cathedrals
After lunch, take a walk to see the Helsinki Cathedral.
The cathedral is an impressive sight from the outside, so you can take a couple of pics, then walk up the stairs and go inside to take a look at the interior.
From there you can walk to the Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral. You might also want to stop at some of the cute shops along the way because there are a lot of nice ones in this area.
Take a sunset Sky Wheel ride
Depending on what time of year you visit, this may not be a sunset ride, but taking a trip on the SkyWheel Helsinki is beautiful around sunset.
It’s a Ferris Wheel with a twist because this one has it’s own sauna carriage! Yep, that’s right, a sauna!
They also have a VIP carriage as well and, as you would imagine, both of these are quite pricey.
Luckily there are regular carriages available and those are not too expensive.
It was a fun experience to see the city from a different view and beautiful to see it drenched in the soft light and sunset colors.
Have dinner by the water
I have a bit of an eating routine when I travel. Usually, I like to find a hotel with breakfast and eat there before I leave for the day – Hotel Katajanokka has a great breakfast buffet.
During the day I have a light lunch or a snack in the afternoon, then I treat myself to a nice dinner where I can try local cuisine in the evening.
I like to eat local ingredients and try things that I can’t buy everywhere. If you prefer a faster, chain-style restaurant there are plenty of them in the city, but I opted for Ravintola Nokka for dinner where I had a divine fish dinner in a cozy atmosphere on the water.
Day Two In Helsinki
Visit a National Park or take a Bicycle Tour
Now, this is the only part that differs from how I spent my weekend in Helsinki because I was working on this morning. But, if I wasn’t working, I had two main things I would’ve chosen from.
I would have either taken a visit out to Nuuksio National Park to spend a half-day in nature or done a tour with Helsinki Bike Tours to have the knowledgeable guides show me some of the local sights.
Those are both things that I wanted to do but just ran out of time and are what I would recommend for this section of your visit.
Experience an authentic sauna + cold water swim
This is what drew me to Finland. I wanted to experience an authentic sauna session and a cold water swim!
Löyly is a place suited for tourists who want to do just that.
There are two different saunas which you can use – one regular and one smoke sauna. In between sauna time you can climb down a ladder to take a dip in the chilly Baltic Sea.
The cold water winded me as I went in and I could only stay in for a few seconds at a time, but the whole experience was so relaxing in a weird way, and addictive.
It was definitely an extraordinary travel experience for the bucket list and I 100% recommend it.
You need to make a reservation, which you can do on their website and here is my full review of the Finnish sauna and ice swimming experience.
Another option for a sea swimming and sauna is the Allas Sea Pool near Market Square.
When it comes to how to spend a weekend in Helsinki, experiencing an authentic Finnish sauna and sea swim has to be on the list!
Have a coffee by the lake
After your refreshing time at Löyly, take a walk over to the Sinisen Huvilan Kahvila cafe for a coffee by the lake.
It’s a nice walk over there, and you can even stop to take a photo with the My Helsinki sign along the way.
It was a beautiful nature-filled area to walk around, and there is also a serene lake and park nearby.
Have dinner at the prison
Head back to the prison, I mean hotel, for a great underground dinner at the restaurant there.
I had the fish. Yes, fish again – there’s so much great seafood in Helsinki. But they had a lot of different options on the menu to cater for just about everyone.
After dinner, you can curl up in your cozy cell and go through all your photos from your great weekend.
How to get around during a weekend in Helsinki
If you’re doing a city weekend like this, there’s no need to rent a car. Helsinki is well suited for walking, cycling, and it has a really great public transport system.
I walked everywhere once I was in the city, but if you prefer to use public transport, you can choose from buses, trains, and trams which are all near the hotel.
There are also bicycle stands all around the city where you can rent a bicycle to get around.
If you get a Helsinki Card all your public transportation will be free as well as the Ferry to Suomenlinna and museum entries.
How to get to Helsinki center from the airport
To get to the city from the airport, you can take the Finnair city bus which drops you off at Central Railway Station in 30 minutes.
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Hi! I wanted to let you know that I linked to your article in my latest one on Helsinki Side Quest. Keep up the awesome blogging. 🙂
Thanks so much, I just checked out the post and it’s a great list!